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In the Upper Country
In the Upper Country: A Novel | Kai Thomas
9 posts | 9 read | 4 to read
The fates of two unforgettable womenone just beginning a journey of reckoning and self-discovery and the other completing her life's last vital actintertwine in this sweeping, deeply researched debut set in the Black communities of Ontario that were the last stop on the Underground Railroad. Young Lensinda Martin is a protegee of a crusading Black journalist in mid-18th century southwestern Ontario, finding a home in a community founded by refugees from the slave-owning states of the American southwhose agents do not always stay on their side of the border. One night, a neighbouring farmer summons Lensinda after a slave hunter is shot dead on his land by an old woman recently arrived via the Underground Railroad. When the old woman, whose name is Cash, refuses to flee before the authorities arrive, the farmer urges Lensinda to gather testimony from her before Cash is condemned. But Cash doesn't want to confess. Instead she proposes a barter: a story for a story. And so begins an extraordinary exchange of tales that reveal the interwoven history of Canada and the United States; of Indigenous peoples from a wide swath of what is called North America and of the Black men and women brought here into slavery and their free descendents on both sides of the border. As Cash's time runs out, Lensinda realizes she knows far less than she believed not only about the complicated tapestry of her nation, but also of her own family history. And it seems that Cash may carry a secret that could shape Lensinda's destiny. Sweeping along the path of the Underground Railroad from the southern States to Canada, through the lands of Indigenous nations around the Great Lakes, to the Black communities of southern Ontario, In the Upper Country weaves together unlikely stories of love, survival, and familial upheaval that map the interconnected history of the peoples of North America in an entirely new and resonant way.
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review
rmaclean4
rmaclean4
In the Upper Country: A Novel | Kai Thomas
post image
Mehso-so

I listened to this historical tale of slavery set in Canada on Audio. It read like connected short stories to me. I did not give it my full attention and had a hard time following the family lines. I feel I did this novel a disservice, but I am also unwilling to reread it. So-so for me. It is on the Walter Scott long list for historical fiction.

16 likes
review
sblbooks
sblbooks
In the Upper Country: A Novel | Kai Thomas
post image
Mehso-so

3🌟 #BookedInTime Canada 1800 to 1950 @Cuilin @dabbe
Two women tell stories of their journey on the Underground Railroad. Unfortunately, I could not keep the stories straight. I listened to this on Audible while at work, which made it even harder. I would not recommend this one. The summary sounded good, but it just wasn't for me.

Cuilin I hate when the summary sounds good but the book is flat. Ugh. Congrats on finishing #BookedInTime Canada ✅🎉 1y
dabbe Got it on the spreadsheet! 🤩 1y
33 likes2 comments
review
Lindy
Lindy
In the Upper Country: A Novel | Kai Thomas
post image
Pickpick

Beautifully layered historical fiction set in the early 1800s in a community of people who escaped from slavery across the US border. Relationships between Afro and Indigenous peoples are explored in a way that I‘ve rarely seen elsewhere. The two women who are the central characters are so well drawn that they live on in my head.
I expect this debut to be on Canadian awards lists this fall. #ShadowGiller2023

tagged users iconPenny_LiteraryHoarders
30 likes1 stack add
blurb
shawnmooney
shawnmooney
In the Upper Country: A Novel | Kai Thomas
post image

https://youtu.be/WeVooWPMejw

#pridemonth2023

Intro

Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal, Jessica Moore (Translator)

Off The Beaten Track by Maylis de Kerangal, Helen Mixter (Translator)

Bookstore Crawl

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On Browsing by Jason Guriel

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shawnmooney In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas

Oksi by Mari Ahokoivu
 2y
25 likes1 comment
blurb
Lindy
Lindy
In the Upper Country: A Novel | Kai Thomas
post image

Friday Reads with a surprise guest
https://youtu.be/YRmiBSwGlN0

#booktube

26 likes1 stack add
blurb
LatrelWhite
LatrelWhite
In the Upper Country: A Novel | Kai Thomas
post image

Forth book in May❤️💛🧡 In the 1800s in Dunmore, a Canadian town 🇨🇦settled by people fleeing enslavement in the American south, young Lensinda Martin works for a crusading Black journalist.

One night, a neighboring farmer summons Lensinda after a slave hunter is shot dead on his land by an old woman who recently arrived via the Underground Railroad.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

16 likes1 stack add
blurb
shawnmooney
shawnmooney
In the Upper Country: A Novel | Kai Thomas
post image

https://youtu.be/g1DrdsI5KKI

23 likes
review
Mpcacher
Mpcacher
In the Upper Country: A Novel | Kai Thomas
post image
Pickpick

This is a heartbreaking tale set in Canada and the US, about Black and Indigenous lives, both in 1859 and before and during the War of 1812. Much of the tale is told in the format of story telling between two women and I found that I sometimes got confused as to timelines and characters and I might reread it for clarity. That being said, I did really enjoy it, loved the strong females and think it would be a wonderful book club choice. 3.75/5

6 likes